You can't have a voice if you don't know the language. As a journalist for newspapers and voluntary organisations, I understand the importance of giving people a voice and ensuring people are heard. This tenet goes hand-in-hand with my aim to increase routes to English-language learning for asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in the UK through my Fellowship called The Language of Friendship: Refugees Learning with Locals. Knowing English is the greatest pathway to community integration.

I have worked for NGOs on human rights, international development, rainforest protection and an end to child poverty and homelessness. I currently volunteer for Care4Calais, Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants and Speak Street where I offer care and support, and teach English. I have established a group through the Islington University of the Third Age to support refugees through language learning. It will expand when Covid-19 restrictions allow.

A determination to put women explorers 'back on the map' led me to retrace the journey of journalist Nellie Bly who circled the world faster than anyone ever had in 1890. My book Following Nellie Bly was published in 2021.